As broadly known, there is a video reproducing device including a skip function. The skip function is a function of interrupting, when a predetermined operation is performed while reproducing the video content, the reproduction thereof, then advancing a reproducing point to a position equivalent to predetermined length of seconds (e.g., 30 sec) on a video time basis, and resuming the reproduction. Therefore, if a predetermined operation is conducted just when a reproducing scene is changed over to CM (commercial message) from a TV program, it is possible to skip the CM scene. Further, if the reproduction resumes from a different CM scene even by skipping the CM scene concerned, the user can skip this CM scene by performing the predetermined operation once again. Moreover, the skip function enables the user to skip, e.g., a scene of the TV program in which no interest arises without being limited to the CM scene.
The time for which the reproducing point advances owing to the skip function is, however, fixed, and hence there might be a case where a skipped section (skipped frames) contains a scene that the user desires to view. In this case, it follows that the viewer misses a chance to view the scene without being aware of this scene. Moreover, there might be a case of resuming the reproduction from the middle of the scene that the user desires to view after skipping. In this case, the user must perform a rewinding operation of returning the reproducing point to the head of the scene that the user desires to view.
Furthermore, the video reproducing device includes a back-skip function together with the skip function as the case may be. The back-skip function is a function of interrupting, when the predetermined operation is carried out while reproducing the video content, then returning the reproducing point to a position equivalent to a predetermined length of time (e.g., 5 sec) on the video time base, and resuming the reproduction. For example, when skipping after an elapse of several seconds since the reproducing scene has been changed to the CM from the TV program, it follows that the reproduction often resumes from the middle of the scene of the TV program after skipping. In such a case, the back-skip, if done, enables the user to return the reproducing point to a point anterior to the head of the scene of the TV program.
The time for which the reproducing point returns owing to the back-skip function is, however, fixed, and hence the reproducing point hardly returns to exactly the head of the scene that the viewer desires to view. Consequently, the viewer has no alternative but to view, even if not desired to view, the portion (frames) anterior to the head of the scene that the viewer himself or herself desires to view after skipping.
The following are related arts to the invention.    [Patent document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-029772    [Patent document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H09-284706